# The Vatican, and it's secrets...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vatican-and-its-secrets/192384>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 1, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vatican-and-its-secrets/192384 "2003-08-01T16:01:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McDeath_the_Mad)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vatican-and-its-secrets/192384/1 "2003-08-01T16:01:17Z")

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I was wondering, does the Vatican have some kind of crazy vault full of artifacts and old books? I assuming they do.

If they did have said vault, who would have access to it? Are they allowed to make public any findings they make there?

Are there any rumors of stuff hidden in there?

MtM

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**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vatican-and-its-secrets/192384/2 "2003-08-01T16:02:24Z")

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If they have a secret vault, nobody knows about it, so it’s a secret.

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**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vatican-and-its-secrets/192384/3 "2003-08-01T17:07:16Z")

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You fool! You know to much! now, we will send the Spanish Inquisition after you! No one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition!

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**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vatican-and-its-secrets/192384/4 "2003-08-01T17:17:59Z")

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That’s a common legend. Cecil covers [Does the Vatican have the world’s largest pornography collection?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_074.html).

If it’s just about a vault “vault full of artifacts and old books”, definitely yes. The Vatican Museums possess one of the world’s most important art collection, and the Vatican Library holds valuable books. But those aren’t secret - for visiting the Museums, you just have to buy a ticket (and stand in queue for half a day :mad: ), and if you want to have access to the Library’s works, call them and have an appointment.

There surely are confidential sections of the Library or some secret archives the general public won’t be allowed to see (the [Third Message of Fatima](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_037.html) was kept secret until 2000 when the Pope ordered it to be revealed). But they surely don’t have those hypersecret archives where they store their extraterrestrial correspondence and the paylist for the Big World Conspiracy.

(If they had, btw, I guess that first of all the Pope would have access. Remember that the Vatican is an absolute monarchy where the Pope practically has unrestricted powers.)